Stopper for bottles



(No Model.)

G. H. WATKINS, Jr.

STOPPER FOR BOTTLES.

No. 579,619. Patented Mar. 30,1897.

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ATENT STOPPER FOR BOTTLES.-

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 579,619, dated March30, 1897. Application filed November 12, 1896. Serial No. 611,847. (No md l.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. WATKINs, J12, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at lVheeling, in the county of Ohio and State of lVestVirginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stoppersand Sealers for Bottles; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

Myinvcntion relates to improvements in stoppers and sealers for bottlesadapted to contain catchup, sauces, 85o. ,wh'erein the contents are tobe partially emptied at intervals, and it is of the kind wherein thesame stopper may be used for shipping and for protecting the contents ofthe bottle while in use. In the usual form of such stoppers a corkhaving an openingin the center is introduced into the neck of thebottle. cred by a tightly-fitting glass plug. The ob ject of using thecork is to make a close fit for the plug and to reduce the diameter ofthe orifice of the bottle, so as to allow of greater exactitude inemptying the contents. When the bottle is shipped, the glass plug isheld securely in place by a seal, which upon being broken by theconsumer the plug can be removed. This form of stopper is open toobjection, for after once the seal is broken the bottle cannot be closedfor transportation without being rescaled, and to the further objectionthat while in use the liquid contents will frequently cause the plug tostick to the cork and will hold it with such force that upon the plugbeing removed the cork will come outwith it. Other stoppers have beenmade wherein a cork is forced into the bottlemouth and a cap is usedscrewed over the bottle-mouth. With such devices the cork requires to beremoved before the contents of the bottle can be ejected, and since thecork has beenv tightly secured in place it almost always is badly brokenin being extracted. In consequence the cap alone is generally employedin use to effect the stoppering, and this has been found to beobjectionable for the reason that the contents of the bottle becomecontaminated by contact with the cap.

This opening is cov- The objects of my invention are to avoid theseobjections and to produce a stopper which can be securely sealed bymeans of a screw-cap and at the same time to provide the cork lining forthe neck of the bottle with means whereby it cannot accidentally bedisplaced by the plug sticking to it. These objects I accomplish byproviding the neck of the bottle with external screwthreads or otherlocking devices, which engage with a metallic cap preferably having acircular opening in its center. This opening when employed is slightlylarger than and is coincident with an opening in the cork stopper, whichlatter I prefer tointroduce in a novel manner. The glass plug has anenlarged head and is introduced within the cork, the metal cap beingscrewed over it. This will firmly seal the plug within the cork andprevent the same from being displaced.

Then in use and it is desired to empty the contents of the bottle insmall quantities at different times, the metal cap and glass plug areboth removed and the metal screw-cap replaced and screwed down to closeengagement with the cork. The glass plug can then be replaced and passedthrough the openings in the cap and in the cork and will abut againstthe cap. Upon the plug being rcmoved it will be impossible toaccidentally remove the cork, as it will be held in place by the metalcap.

Broadly speaking, therefore, my invention consists, first, in employinga cap in combination with a plug working in an annular cork, the plug,cap, and cork being separable; second, in employing a cap in combinationwith a plug working in an annular cork, said plug having a flat ordisked head and said cap having an opening therein whereby the cap maybe placed above or below the head of the plug, and, third, in secu ringan annular cork in a bottle-neck in a novel manner.

In order to better understand the nature of my invention, attention isdirected to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective View of the neckof a catchup-bottle made according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a verticalsectional view of the same with the stopper in place for transportation, and Fig. 3 is a similar view with the parts in place foruse.

In all of the several views like parts are indicated by the samereference-letters.

In the drawings, A is the bottle-neck, having a raised screw-threadedportion 13 ad jacent to its upper edge.

0 is the metallic cap, preferably made of tin of the shape shown, havinginternal screwthreads D upon its sides and a circular opening E at itstop. The screw-threads of the cap engage with the threads on the neck ofthe bottle to hold the two tightly together.

F is a ring of cork or similar material tightly forced within the neckof the bottle, having an opening therein slightly smaller than theopening E in the cap. The stopper G is formed, preferably, of glass orof any other suitable material and has a shank part II and an enlargedhead or flange I. The top of the flange may be plain or ornamented ormay contain directions or advertisements, as desired. The shank ll. ofthe plug is of such a size and shape as when introduced within theopening in the cork will tightly close the same.

\Vhen the bottle is packed for shipment, the plug is introduced withinthe cork, and the metal cap is screwed down over all tightly, forcingthe plug within the cork and absolutely preventing the escape of thecontents of the bottle.

\Vhen the bottle is to be used, the cap and plug are both removed andthe cap screwed down until it is in close engagement with the top of thecork. The plug is then replaced, passing through both the openings inthe cap and in the cork.

It will be seen that upon removing the plug, no matter how in ueh thesame sticks to the cork, the latter cannot be accidentally removed fromthe bottle, as the top of the cap overlaps the cork and effectivelyholds the same within the neck of the bottle.

By preference the cork stop per is in t-roduced and held in place byproviding the bottleneck with a recess near its mouth on the interior,in which recess the cork will be seated, as clearly illustrated in Figs.2 and This reeess may be formed with the bottle during the blowing ofthe same in the mold.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new thereiin anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. A stopper for bottles, consisting of an annular cork in thebottle-mouth, a plug removably engaging in said cork and having aflanged head, and a cap separate from the plug and cork, and engagingthe bottle-mouth and forced down upon said head, substantiall as setforth.

2. A stopper t'or bottles, consisting of a portion having an o )eningtherein permanently secured within the neck of the bottle, a plugentering said opening, and a removable cap having an opening within itstop, such cap being capable of being placed either above or below saidplug, substantially as set forth.

A stopper for bottles, consisting of a portion having an openingpermanentlysecured within the neck of the bottle, aplug entering saidopening, and a cap screw-threadtnl onto the bottleneck and having anopening therein within its top, such cap being capable of being placedeither above or below said plug, substantially as set forth.

4-. A stopper for bottles, consisting of a cork secured within a recessformed on the interior ot' the bottle, said cork having an openingtherein, a plug entering said opening and formed with a flange, and acap screw-threaded onto the bottle-neck and having an opening thereinwithin its top, such cap being capable of being placed either above orbelow the flange of said plug, substantially as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 12th day of October, 1890.

CHARLES II. WATKINS, .In.

'itnesses:

II. P. WiLkIxsoN, RICHARD RonEnrsoN.

